The Trailblazers- Part I
by dulci-bellaa
Summary: Chelsea has never known life outside the Vault. All that is about to change.
1. Goodbye, Home

_A/N: Although I have done creative writing before, I've never posted it for people to read. Hopefully you enjoy! Reviews appreciated :)_

.::..::..::.

 _"trail-blaz-er"_

{noun}

 _a person who makes a new track through wild country._

Like a photograph, the first ten years of my childhood went by in bullet time. The images of my youth, preserved only in single shots of black and white movement, then placed on the carousel of my memory to be played over and over and over again. I remember nothing as it was in the moment, nothing like real life. The reawakening of nostalgia and the heavy feel of the past would leave an imprint on me, but I could never remember the truth. I could never remember the whole story.

Here I stand, nearly two decades after the difficult loss of my mother and blessing of my birth. I am not unique; I am but another faithful Vault Dweller and a servant to God. There is still a vacant place in the back of my mind, one that echoes a repeated phrase and has that same feeling of nostalgia:

What is out in the wasteland?

I never thought I would have to answer this question and put to ease my curiousness. For nineteen years, I have lived, breathed, and was grateful for the life and safety that the Overseer gave me.

It's interesting how your entire world can change in the blink of an eye.

.::..::..::.

I'm shaken from a peaceful sleep. The color drains out of my dreams and back into reality. My eyes reluctantly open and I am greeted by a terrified Amata. She looks as white as a ghost and beads of sweat dot her forehead.

"Chelsea, did you hear me?" She nearly screams.

"What is it?" I ask.

"You have to get up. Right now!" Amata is surprisingly strong as she pulls me out from under the sheets and I roll onto the floor. My leg gets twisted as I try to stand up. I feel a sharp pain running from my ankle to my knee.

"What is going on? Why are you here?"

"Didn't you hear? Your dad left the Vault!" Her eyes get big.

I laugh.

"I'm not kidding you, Chelsea. Your dad… he's gone. He left. And I don't know why." Amata says in quieter tone than before. Her voice is still serious. "And Jonas is dead."

"What?" I ask. "No, that can't be right. I talked to Jonas yesterday, i-in the lab, and Dad, he's-"

"Chelsea, you have to believe me. This is serious. My father's men are looking for you, they-they think you know something about this."

"What? I don't know anything." It's not a lie- my father has never told me anything about leaving. My heart is beating faster and faster by the second. Now fully awake, I hear the alarm sounds going off and the blinking of red lights in the hallway.

"I know, I know. But they're going to try and force a truth out of you." Amata says. "That's why we're leaving."

I stop breathing.

"We're leaving? Like the Vault?"

"Chelsea, it's the only way to make sure we're both safe."

"Amata…" I put my hand on my forehead. "Are you sure he's gone?"

"Yes, I know it."

"Who killed Jonas?"

Amata pauses.

"Officer Mack."

I nod.

"How are we getting out of here?"

"There's a terminal in my father's office that can be hacked to open the Vault. I'll meet you at the exit." Amata pulls out a pistol. "Here. I stole this from my father. You might need it."

"Thank you, Amata. Stay safe. I'll see you soon." Amata rushes out of the room and I put the gun in my pocket. I quickly slip into my Vault suit and tie my blonde hair in a ponytail. I'm sweating just as much as Amata was when she woke me up.

Thoughts rush through my head as I rush out the door. I stop halfway down the hallway and go back. I open the dresser and grab my Grognak the Barbarian. No way I'm forgetting that.

.::..::..::.

My tenth birthday.

I wasn't a very popular girl back then, although there weren't ever many kids who lived in the Vault, but I doubt if there were more that they would have grown close to me. It was a small gathering- much less a party.

My father made it a surprise, but the biggest surprise was the fact Butch and his friends were there. I didn't like Butch, and he didn't like me. Our relationship was not perfect, but was in perfect harmony.

Amata gave me the Grognak comic as a gift. I was ecstatic to receive it- finding something fun to do in the Vault was hard and the Grognak comics was my main source of entertainment. The comic had sentimental meaning for me, as well. I'll never forget what she said to me after giving me the comic.

"Chelsea, I hope we're friends forever."

Oh, god, Amata. How I wish we could go back to that moment.

.::..::..::.

Panting, I run down the hallway, gun close at hand. The same three words run through my mind: dad, terminal, escape. I repeat them in a whisper to try and keep my nerves at bay.

I am nearly out into the main hallway when Officer Kendall stops me. The pain in my leg from when Amata pulled me out of bed has gotten worse; my leg is throbbing. I stop trying to run.

"Hey, you!" Kendall pulls out his baton."Just keep your hands where I can see them."

A mess of radroaches almost sprint towards us and start attacking Kendall. Just my luck.

I race off and can hear Kendall yelling at me in the distance. There's no turning back now.

I make it far enough to stop and catch my breath. Butch comes running towards me.

"What do you want, Butch?" I hiss. He looks worried.

"You gotta help me. My mom's stuck in there with the radroaches."

"So? Can't you just take care of them yourself?" I say. Butch shakes his head.

"I can't… I-I hate radroaches, they freak me out." Butch whimpers. "Chelsea, come on, you gotta help me."

"You're… scared. Of radroaches." Despite the current circumstances, I start laughing and can't stop. Butch turns a bright shade of red.

"Chelsea, it's not funny." He begs. "Please, please help me."

For a second, I feel sorry for him. But then I remember who he is.

"Butch, you can figure it out for yourself. I'm a little busy, in case you didn't realize it." Butch frowns.

"Whatever, bitch. If my mom dies, this is on you." Butch runs away. I continue on my escape.

I go through the atrium where two dead bodies are lying out on ground. Their faces are so covered in blood I can't even tell who they are. I wipe the blood off their face and gasp in horror. Tom... and Mary.

The sound of footsteps echo through the atrium and I know I don't have time to mourn my peers. I pass by a window and I hear thumping against the glass. Allen Mack stands there thumping his fist against the glass.

"You!" The sound is muffled. "This is all your fault! If your dad didn't leave, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Dad. Terminal. Escape.

Anger comes over me. I leave before he can continue to blame me.

I find Jonas dead on the floor of the lab. The area around his head is dyed dark with blood and a single hole goes through his forehead. His eyes are open and wide with fear. I start crying. The tears from my eyes drip onto the floor and echo through the room.

"I'm so sorry, Jonas... I'm sorry..." I sob. I put my hand on his chest and feel a hard surface. I reach into his coat and pull out a holotape labeled "Note from Dad." I slip it into my Pip-Boy to listen to later. I gently close Jonas' eyes and remove his glasses. "I promise you, Jonas, I will avenge you. Your death will not be in vain."

If Jonas' death wasn't enough, the next scene is worse. Amata has been trapped by her father and Officer Mack. I hide from their sight and listen to the scene unfold through the wall.

"I told you, I don't know anything. Why are you doing this to me?"

"It's only necessary." The Overseer says.

I rush into the room and shoot Officer Mack first. He falls to the ground and Amata runs out of that room so fast I don't even have time to talk to her. I turn to the Overseer.

"You won't get away with this. I make sure people get punished for their crimes." He hits me, hard. My vision gets blurry and I trip. My leg is still in pain from earlier. I wince. "Your family is trouble, Chelsea."

"You're wrong. You're the troubled one here." With what little energy I have left, I pull out the gun and fire at the Overseer. The bullets go through his abdomen. He groans and falls to the floor.

"You will regret this." He says in his last moments. "Choices must always come with a consequence."

I leave him there to suffer.

I find the key to his office and open the door. I type the passcode wrong the first three tries, and get it right on the fourth. The entrance to the Vault exit slowly rises out of the floor. I step down into it. Amata is there to greet me.

"You... You killed him." Her voice is filled with anger, sadness, and grief.

"Amata, I'm so sorry, but it had to be done." I go to touch her arm. She moves away.

"Don't touch me. Now, go, before I change my mind."

"You're not coming?"

"I can't. Not now." She says. "Good luck finding your dad."

"Goodbye, Amata. I love you."

"Goodbye, Chelsea." She says coldly. The Vault door opens and Amata goes back inside the Vault. I leave the Vault, never to return.

Goodbye, home.


	2. Friendly Faces in Megaton

_A/N: From here on out most of the story will be written with creative liberties. Reviews appreciated. :)_

 **.::..::..::.**

The first few steps I take, I stumble. The ground is rocky and uneven, much unlike the flat, hard concrete I know from the Vault. The dust kicks up and covers my boots and the edges of my clothes in an orange-brownish color. I walk along the dirt trail and try to figure out where I'm going next. In the distance, I spot what looks like a town. It wouldn't hurt to start there. I make it to there by sundown, led by big signs with MEGATON painted on them in big, red letters.

If someone is going to know where my father is, they would mostly likely be in Megaton. I breathe in a heavy cloud of dust and hot air and my throat becomes dry. I approach the metal structure and walk up to the door. It opens automatically and I enter the town.

A man with dark skin and a cowboy hat wanders up the metal steps and stops a few feet in front of me.

"Who are you?" I ask. My voice sounds awful. I haven't had anything to drink since yesterday night, the dust lines the back of my throat in a thick layer, and each breath I take sends a stinging pain through my body that nearly causes me to throw up.

"The name's Lucas Simms. I'm the sheriff." Simms tips his hat. "Ma'am." For a second I forget about my situation with my dad.

"Have you seen a man come through town? About 6 feet, wearing a blue Vault suit, grey hair..." Simms looks up.

"I don't recall running into a man like that. Some of the other folks in town might know. I'd recommend talking to Moriarty."

"Where's Moriarty?"

"You can find him at Moriarty's Saloon." Simms points towards one of the larger metal structures. I nod.

"Thank you." I start walking but he stops me.

"Just so we both understand each other, I don't want any trouble between us. Am I clear?"

His hand moves to the gun on his hip and I understand all too well.

"Yes sir, of course." I continue walking.

Moriarty's Saloon is not what I expected. It's fairly quiet, most of the people in there are either drinking and eating by themselves or chatting in a low voice to each other, and the floor is clean. I walk up to the counter. A man with rotted skin and eyes popping out looks at me.

"Yeah?" He asks in a voice similar to the sound a rusted pipe would make. At first I want to scream, but I keep my thoughts to myself and politely ask him my questions.

"Do you know where Moriarty is? I have to talk to him."

"That's it?" His eyebrows raise in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not going to yell at me? Or throw a bottle at me?"

"No, why would I do that?"

"Because of how I look. You know, _this_." He motions with his hands to his face. "Aren't you gonna treat me like shit?"

"Well, I can't argue with the fact you're not the best looking, but I don't think you deserve to be treated like shit." I sit down at the counter.

"Thanks, kid. You want anything to drink?"

"Just a Nuka-Cola." I give him a few caps and he hands me an ice-cold bottle of Nuka-Cola. It tastes so good, but the carbonation burns on the back of my dry throat.

"The name's Gob, by the way."

"Chelsea." I set the bottle down.

"Interesting outfit you got there. Vault suit? Haven't seen one of those in years."

"Yeah." I say. "So, Moriarty?"

"Guy owns the place. He's probably in back somewhere."

"Can I go back there?" I ask. I stretch my neck to try and see where the "back" is.

"There's nothing stopping you."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later." I stand up, Nuka-Cola bottle in hand. The back room is small and cramped; a terminal is attached on the wall and a dresser sits vacantly unused against it. A man with gray hair and a styled beard sits at the terminal. He glances over at me.

"Look, if yer complaining about the ghoul, I don't have the time right now to discuss-" He starts in a heavy Scottish accent. "My god, it's you, isn't it? You've grown so much... And you look so much like him..."

"Um, I'm sorry?" I ask. This is starting to feel a little weird.

"Yer dad, is he James?"

"Yes!" My heart swells with excitement at hearing my dad's name. "Do you know where he is?"

"Unfortunately, no." My heart drops. "Just as quickly as he came into town, he left. I haven't the slightest clue where he could be."

"Are you sure?" Moriarty stares at the ceiling.

"He did mention something about Galaxy News Radio, but it wasn't much. Other than that, he could be anywhere in the world right now."

"Galaxy News… what is that?"

"Have you been living under a rock?" He chuckles. "It's only the most popular radio station in the Capital Wasteland."

"The Vault wasn't exactly the best place to pick up an outside frequency." He sneers. "Where is it? The broadcasting station?"

"It's East a little bit, just across the river. You better watch out for Raiders. And Super Mutants."

I have no idea what he is talking about.

"Thanks." I say.

"I know yer eager to find yer dad but I would recommend staying in town for a little bit. We're not all that bad."

"Maybe just for a night or two."

 **.::..::..::.**

I consider wandering around town, but my sore feet, hurt leg, and dry throat tell me I should just relax for a little bit. After speaking with Moriarty, I sit down next to a young woman about my age with blonde hair. She smiles at me.

"You new in town?" She asks.

"Yeah."

"Do you like it?"

"It's... interesting."

"I know what you mean." She puts out her hand. "I'm Lucy. Lucy West." I shake it.

"Chelsea."

"Nice to meet you. Did you come from Vault 101?"

"What?"

"It's just the suit you're wearing… it says 101 on the back." I remember that I'm still wearing my Vault suit.

"Oh, that. Yeah." I reply. "Do you know where I can get new clothes?"

"Moira should have some down at the general supply. Heads up about the mercenary that was hired in the store- he's a bit of a grouch."

"Thanks." I smile. I leave Moriarty's and head to the Supply store. I need to get out of these clothes. By the time I get there, it's dark, and the store is closed for the night. With nowhere else to go, I walk down to the Brass Lantern. I'm barely through the door and I already hear sounds of a bar fight.

Even though the Vault was usually more controlled than most wasteland settlements were, I am no stranger to the occasional drunken brawl. It starts when one person knocks over someone else's drink, spilling it. In a drunken rage, the victim attacks the culprit, and the two fight it out until security shows up, or until one of them passes out.

This fight looks much more personal. One red haired opponent takes the other by the throat, and chokes him until he's convulsing on the ground. He beats the man until his face is covered in blood. I can hear the brutally wounded man screaming out.

A woman runs out.

"Leo!" She screams. "Get off of him!" She grabs onto the redhead and pulls him away from the bleeding man, who now holds his hands over his face moaning. Nobody goes to help him. The audience watches on as the woman confronts Leo. "What the hell are you doing, attacking our customers!?" She yells. Her face is red with anger.

"Jenny, you don't understand, this assholes been spreading shit about me!" Jenny shakes her head.

"It doesn't fucking matter if he blows up the whole town, Leo! You don't hurt our customers, no matter how much he's pissed you off." Leo looks away, guilt ridden and fists bloody. Jenny stares at the people looking on. "And all of you, if you're not buying anything, get the hell out." She gently kicks the man on the ground in his side. "Get your sorry ass off my floor."

He struggles to stand up, but manages to limp out the door. Leo whistles at him.

"Carter, if you ever show your face here again, I'm gonna rip out your heart." Jenny mumbles something under her breath. Carter limps all the way to Moriarty's. My curiosity takes charge, and I follow him.

 **.::..::..::.**

He sits on a bed up in one of the rooms. I slowly appear in the doorway. Carter looks up at me.

"What?" He asks in a gruff, boyish voice.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing. Why do you care?"

"Well, you look awful." His face is still covered in blood, and his lip is swollen beyond belief. "Don't you need a doctor? Or at least a stimpak?"

"Nobody will help me. No matter how many caps I throw at them." Carter painfully groans as he takes off his shirt. His chest is bruised and cut. Blood seeps down his stomach. He throws the torn and stained shirt on the floor. "I had to basically whore myself out to Nova for this room." The gore makes me wants to vomit. "Can't depend on anyone else. I'll just take some Med-X."

"You need a doctor, Carter. This can't be fixed by a-a pill." I grab the shirt and go to use it to clean up the blood. He pushes me away.

"Look, girl, why are you trying to help me? I don't even know you."

"I was taught to always help others." I say. I press the shirt against his chest. "And my name is Chelsea, by the way." The blood cleans up. "You need bandages."

"I can get them."

I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Really?"

"It's fine, go on home." Carter waves me dismissively. I sigh heavily and he notices. "What's wrong?"

"I don't really have a home. I came from the Vault and I don't have enough money for a room. I'm planning on selling most of my stuff in the morning."

"You can stay here." Carter says quickly. "I mean, if you want. I'm in too much pain to lay down, so the bed's not going to be used."

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll do that then. Thank you."

"No problem." He moves to the love seat in the corner. "Goodnight, Chelsea."

I climb into bed, my dusty Vault suit still on.

"Goodnight, Carter."

 **.::..::..::.**

I wake up early. Carter's asleep in the love seat, an uncomfortable cringe on his face. He must fallen asleep like that. I tiptoe out of the room.

The store is finally open. I open the door and walk up to the girl at the counter. We uncomfortably make eye contact. I can hear the mercenary watching me carefully.

"I'm Moira. How can I help you?" She asks cheerfully. I pull out my stuff and put it on the counter. A baseball bat, a baseball, the armor and weapons I took off the dead security guards, and my BB gun that dad gave me when I was 10. It was a hard decision, but I need the caps.

"How many caps can I get for this?"

"Mm, I'd say about 100 caps. For the Vault Suit, I'll give you another 100 and something else to wear." She holds out another outfit, neatly folded and stacked. I take it and go into the bathroom to change. It fits tightly on my body, but it's all she has in stock.

I come out and Moira smiles at me.

"That looks amazing on you!" She squeals. I hand her my Vault suit and she gives me my caps. I put them in my pocket.

Carter comes in. He has long stripes of bandages running around his chest and a bandage on his nose. His lip is still swollen. He winks at Moira and causes her to blush. I suspect there's something there.

The mercenary puts his hand on his gun.

"Calm down, I'm just here to shop." Carter says. He looks much better than he did last night, but he still looks injured. "How's it going, girls?" Moira giggles.

"What happened last night?" She asks. He saunters up to her and runs his hand down her cheek.

"Just a little bit of a fight. I lost, heroically of course." He says. His voice is different from how he was talking to me last night. _Sexier_.

"You were screaming in pain and could barely get up." I whisper under my breath. He turns and glares at me. Moira doesn't hear me.

"I always have liked a man with battle scars." Moira leans forward and I feel like they're about to kiss, but Carter pulls away.

"So, Chelsea, it looks like you sold out. Nice clothes."

"Thanks." I look at myself. I'm wearing a long sleeve, skin tight navy blue dress that runs to my knees and ripped pantyhose tucked inside of worn leather cowboy boots. He's right- these are nice clothes. "Moira, do you have any pistols?"

"A few, but I have to admit they're pretty old." She reaches under the counter and pulls out a few pistols, along with the ammunition. I hand her the caps and she hands me what I need.

"Don't you have a BB gun?" Carter asks.

"It killed me to sell it. It was a gift from my dad, but it's not useful for where I'm going." I look down. "I'm heading out. See you around, Carter."

I can still hear him flirting with Moira as I walk out the door.


	3. Supermarket Massacre

_A/N: Possible trigger for the violence. Part of this chapter's going to be in Carter's POV. Reviews appreciated :)_

 **.::..::..::.**

I run after Chelsea, grabbing her shoulder. She spins around and her long blonde ponytail hits me in the face.

"Hey." She says.

"Where are you going?" I ask. "I mean, like, where are you going to go after you leave Megaton?"

"According to Moriarty, I should start at Galaxy News Radio."

"Why are you going there?"

"My dad left the Vault. I'm going after him." She loads the pistol with bullets. Her hands are shaking.

"Okay, but you're not going to survive a minute out there. Not with that gun and definitely not by yourself."

"I'll be fine." There's an uncertainty in her voice.

"I've seen people say they'll be fine, then you end up seeing their dead body hung from a spear." I reply. "Let me come with you, to protect you."

"What?" She scoffs. "I don't need any protection, thank you _very_ much. And I really doubt you'll protect me. You'll probably just end up letting me get killed, then stealing my supplies."

"Look, lady, I'm trying to help you. I know that Vault dwellers don't have much experience in the real world, since they've been shielded by their precious Overseer." Chelsea angrily glares at me.

"Are you done insulting me? Or do you have one more up your sleeve?" She storms away.

"Chelsea!" I yell. I run after her. She flips her ponytail again, hitting me.

"Why do you want to help so bad?" She asks in a demanding voice.

"I've watched too many people walk off to their deaths. I don't want you to be another one." Her face lightens for a second. Then she frowns.

"Leave me alone."

 **.::..::..::.**

By the time it's sunset, I pass by the abandoned town I saw when I left the Vault. Just a little bit farther up the road is Vault 101.

I can feel the cold metal of my pistol resting on my hip. It's close by in case I need to grab it. _Hopefully not_ , I think. Dad taught me how to shoot, but that was when I was ten and it was with a BB gun. I'm not the most seasoned expert.

There's a tiny sliver of a voice in the back of my head that tells me I should have accepted Carter's offer, that he would keep me safe from the dangers of the Wasteland. But logic tells the tiny voice that a man who couldn't defend himself in a bar fight probably isn't qualified to fight against super mutants and packs of Raiders.

I feel like someone's following me. I turn around, but there's no one behind me. Nothing but a few unusual insects and some tumbleweed so. _Must be my imagination_.

I walk until dark, at which point I've passed by the radioactive river. I find a grocery store. _Super Duper Mart_.

There's a few supplies inside. I grab them and stuff them into my pockets. A clattering comes from one of the back rooms, and I squat down behind one of the shelves. A group of raiders come out.

"Did you hear that?" One of them whispers. My heart beats fast and my breathing is staggered. "I think there's someone here."

A hand grabs my shoulder and I let out a tiny squeal. I turn around. _Carter_.

"Hey." He smiles.

"What the hell? Why are you here?!" I whisper. The Raiders start to search around. Carter and I both pull out our weapons, ready at any moment.

"You're not experienced enough to be on your own." He whispers. A female Raider jumps on top of the shelf, but doesn't see us. Carter points to a counter check out. "You're going to have about thirty seconds before she sees us and starts shooting. Make them count." He bounces up and sprints, jumping over and behind the counter. The female Raider starts firing at him. I follow Carter.

A bullet grazes the back of my leg as I hurdle myself over the counter. My fall to the floor is harder than I anticipated and pain flares throughout my body. Carter pulls me closer to him and starts firing at the Raider, hitting her in the stomach and knocking her off the shelf. Her body is impaled by a plank of wood on her way down.

"What happened to your leg?" He asks.

"I got grazed." The pain from the escape in the Vault and the addition of the bloody mess my lower calf now is too much for me to stand up. "I can't stand up."

The rest of the pack starts shooting at us. Carter and I duck. He loads his gun with bullets.

"Got your pistol?" He asks. I nod. "Good. Stay low."

He starts shooting. I nervously pull out my pistol and spin myself around to face the enemy. I start blind firing.

"Come out and face us!" They scream. I keep my head low, but Carter fearlessly continues to shot at them. I can hear blood splattering on the concrete floor.

"There's one left." He pants. I peek over the check out. The Raider pulls out a stick of dynamite and lights it. He starts running towards us. Carter cover me in his arms and I pray to God that I'll be leaving this supermarket alive.

Boom.

I lose hearing in my right ear and the dust kicked up from the explosion covers my face. A ringing lets out in my head.

Carter's arms are covering most of my body, but I can see out to the gruesome scene that now appears before us. The raider is dead. Parts of his body are scattered across the grocery store.

"Are you okay?" Carter asks. He stands up.

"I think so. My leg still hurts though."

"I'll go find you some stimpaks." Carter walks through the store, rummaging for things he needs. He comes back with Med-X and a stimpak. "Here." I use both of them, and put the remaining Med-X in my pocket for later. I look at him.

"Why did you come here?" I ask. He shrugs.

"You looked like you could use a hand." He grabs my arm and pulls me up off the floor. "Let's face it- if I hadn't come to your rescue, you'd be dead."

"Right. Thanks." My leg still aches and I can feel the blood running down my leg. "I guess you're right."

"I'm always right." He smirks.

"Sure." I punch him in the arm. "Off to Galaxy News Radio, then."

"I guess so."

We leave the Super Duper Mart and wander down the road. Abandoned buildings surround us on all sides.

"I can't believe that people actually live out here." I tell Carter.

"It's not all that bad. The only real bad thing is the radiation. And constant risk of death." He kicks over a stone. "I'm not even from these areas. I'm from Nevada."

"Oh. Is that nice?"

"Eh. There's NCR all over the fucking place, which gets old after a while." The sun has set and we use the moon as our light.

"Why are you on the East Coast?"

"Well, I used to be a courier for the Mojave Express, but I've since found myself fired. I came out here and crashed in a room in Megaton." He pulls a cigarette out of his backpack and lights it up. "I'll go back, one day. What about you?"

"What about me what?"

"Where are you from?" Carter throws the cigarette on the ground and crushes it beneath his boot.

"Vault 101."

"So you were born there?" I nod. "Oh. Hey, sorry for insulting you earlier today. Sometimes I can be a little mean."

"No kidding." I chuckle. "But I accept your apology."

"Good. I don't know how I'd be around you if you didn't." He stops walking and sits down underneath one of the building's overhangs. "We should stop for the night. I'll keep watch; you can sleep."

I lay down next to him.

"Okay. If you let me get murdered, I swear to god I'm going to kill you."

"I'll keep you safe." Carter lights up another cigarette. "I promise."


End file.
